Moisture separation system

ABSTRACT

A moisture separating system includes a first heat pump, a liquid source in thermal communication with a heat absorption section of the heat pump, and a source of a gas to be treated. The system also includes a hydrophilic nanoporous membrane comprising a first side that receives a flow of gas from the gas source and a second side that receives a flow of liquid from the liquid source.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/448,693, filed Jan. 20, 2017, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Moisture can be separated or removed from a gas for various purposes such as industrial processes or air conditioning.

For example, conventional vapor compression air conditioning (VCC) systems generally do not provide direct control of humidity of conditioned air. However, humidity control is often required, and is provided with VCC systems by direct expansion of refrigerant to a temperature below the dew point of the air being conditioned. This results in removal of moisture from the air by condensation of atmospheric moisture at the VCC system evaporator. Air flow leaving the evaporator coils is typically near the refrigerant saturation temperature for a given suction pressure, which is often colder than the temperature needed for conditioned air, necessitating re-heating to provide conditioned air at desired temperature and humidity levels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

In some embodiments of this disclosure, a moisture separating system comprises a first heat pump, a liquid source in thermal communication with a heat absorption section of the heat pump, and a source of a gas to be treated. The system also includes a hydrophilic nanoporous membrane comprising a first side that receives a flow of gas from the gas source and a second side that receives a flow of liquid from the liquid source.

In any of the foregoing embodiments, the first heat pump includes a heat rejection section that rejects heat to ambient air.

In any one or combination of the foregoing embodiments, the first heat pump includes a heat rejection section that rejects heat to a water flow path in communication with a cooling tower.

In any one or combination of the foregoing embodiments, the first heat pump comprises a vapor compression refrigerant heat transfer circuit that includes a refrigerant evaporator including a heat rejection side that receives a flow of liquid from the liquid source.

In any one or combination of the foregoing embodiments, the system can further comprise a heat exchanger that comprises a heat rejection side in that receives a flow of the gas, and a heat absorption side in thermal communication with the heat absorption section of the heat pump.

In any one or combination of the foregoing embodiments, the liquid source can comprise a chilled liquid circulation system that includes said first heat pump, wherein said liquid circulation system is in thermal communication with one or more heat sinks. In some embodiments, the one or more heat sinks can include the heat absorption side of the heat exchanger that comprises a heat rejection side in that receives a flow of the gas, and a heat absorption side in thermal communication with the heat absorption section of the heat pump.

In any one or combination of the foregoing embodiments, the liquid source can comprise a chilled liquid circulation system that includes said first heat pump, wherein the liquid circulation system is in thermal communication with one or more heat sinks. In some embodiments, the one or more heat sinks can include a heat exchanger comprising a heat rejection side that receives a flow of the gas, and a heat absorption side that receives a flow of liquid from the chilled liquid circulation system.

In any one or combination of the foregoing embodiments, the system can further include a second heat pump comprising a heat absorption section in thermal communication with a flow of the gas. In some embodiments, the second heat pump can be a vapor compression refrigerant heat transfer circuit, a single phase refrigerant heat transfer circuit, an electrocaloric heat pump, a thermoelastic heat pump, or a magnetocaloric heat pump. The second heat pump can comprise a second vapor compression refrigerant heat transfer circuit that includes a refrigerant evaporator in thermal communication with the flow of gas.

In some embodiments, the system can further comprise a controller configured to operate the heat exchanger or the second heat pump in a sensible heat mode in which sensible heat is absorbed from the gas by the above-referenced heat exchanger or the second heat pump, and to operate the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane in a latent heat mode in which latent heat from the condensation of water is absorbed by the liquid flowing on the second side of the membrane.

In any one or combination of the foregoing embodiments, the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane can comprise pores configured to promote capillary condensation of water vapor from the gas on the first side of the membrane and transport of condensed water to the second side of the membrane.

In any one or combination of the foregoing embodiments, the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane can comprise pores of less than or equal to 100 nm.

In any one or combination of the foregoing embodiments, the membrane can comprise an organic polymer.

In any one or combination of the foregoing embodiments, the membrane can comprise an inorganic material.

In any one or combination of the foregoing embodiments, the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane can comprise a plurality of hollow fibers.

In any one or combination of the foregoing embodiments, the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane can comprise a membrane sheet spiral wound together with a feed spacer sheet and a filtrate spacer sheet.

In any one or combination of the foregoing embodiments, the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane can comprise a plurality of membrane sheets in a stack alternately separated by a feed spacer sheet or a filtrate spacer sheet.

In any one or combination of the foregoing embodiments, the liquid can comprise water.

In any one or combination of the foregoing embodiments, the liquid can comprise a desiccant.

In some embodiments, a method of operating the gas conditioning system of any one or combination of the foregoing embodiments comprises flowing liquid from the liquid source on the first side of the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane and flowing gas from the gas source along the second side of the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane.

In some embodiments where the system can include a second heat pump or a heat exchanger comprising a heat rejection side that receives a flow of the gas, and a heat absorption side that receives a flow of liquid from a chilled liquid circulation system, the method of operating the system, the method further comprising operating the heat exchanger or the second heat pump in a sensible heat mode in which sensible heat is absorbed from the gas by the heat exchanger or the second heat pump, and operating the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane in a latent heat mode in which latent heat from the condensation of water is absorbed by the liquid flowing on the second side of the membrane.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Subject matter of this disclosure is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the present disclosure are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of an example embodiment of a moisture separation or removal system;

FIG. 2 is a schematic depiction of a membrane unit;

FIG. 3 is a schematic depiction of a plate and frame membrane unit;

FIG. 4 is a schematic depiction of a spiral wound membrane unit;

FIG. 5 is a schematic depiction of a tube in shell membrane unit;

FIG. 6 is a schematic depiction of another example embodiment of another moisture separation or removal system;

FIG. 7 is a schematic depiction of an example embodiment of a moisture separation or removal system integrated with a chilled water circulation system;

FIG. 8 is a schematic depiction of another example embodiment of a moisture separation or removal system integrated with a chilled water circulation system; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic depiction of an example embodiment of a moisture separation or removal system integrated with an additional heat pump.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It has been discovered that the energy and system component requirements on VCC systems for excess cooling to handle the latent cooling load and then reheat the air being conditioned can create inefficiency in the air conditioning process and system. Additionally, water condensation on metallic heat exchanger coils can cause corrosion problems, further adding to system design and fabrication costs as well as requiring additional system complexity. Alternate humidity removal approaches such as desiccant wheels loaded with a solid desiccant positioned downstream of a temperature control unit can be space-consuming, and significant thermal energy is typically required to regenerate the desiccant, leading to efficiency reductions. Moreover, because the desiccant wheel is relatively cumbersome and not easy to install or uninstall, the capacity and operation of the systems based on desiccant wheels are generally not modular enough to accommodate a wide range of operations. Liquid desiccant systems can avoid some of the physical configuration limitations imposed by solid desiccant systems by providing the capability to move the liquid desiccant through a flow loop. However, liquid desiccants (e.g., lithium chloride) can be highly corrosive or toxic, or both, further adding to system design complexity, system cost, and fabrication costs as well as requiring additional system maintenance. Also, as with solid desiccants, significant heat energy is typically required to regenerate the desiccant, reducing system efficiency.

With reference now to the Figures in which the same numbers may be used in different Figures to represent like components, FIG. 1 shows a schematic depiction of an example embodiment of a gas (e.g., air) conditioning system 10 a. As shown in FIG. 1, a liquid source is provided by a liquid circulation loop 12 driven by pump 14. Liquid in the liquid circulation loop 12 is pumped from tank 16 by pump 14. In some embodiments, such as the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, circulation of liquid through the membrane element 34 can be facilitated by vacuum pump 17 in communication with the vapor space of the tank 16. As further shown in FIG. 1, liquid on the liquid circulation loop 12 is pumped through conduits 12 a and 12 b into thermal communication with a heat absorption section of a heat pump. In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the heat absorption section of the heat pump is a heat exchanger 18 that is an evaporator in a vapor compression refrigerant heat transfer circuit. However, the type of heat pump is not essential, and the heat pump can be any type of heat pump including but not limited to a single phase refrigerant heat transfer circuit, a solid state heat pump such as an electrocaloric heat pump, a thermoelastic heat pump, or a magnetocaloric heat pump. Heat pumps of the above or other types could be graphically represented by a modified FIG. 1 in which components 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, and 30 are not present and in which 18 represents a heat absorption section of a heat pump such as any of the above mentioned heat pump types that receives heat rejected from the liquid in circulation loop 12 for the heat pump to transfer to a heat sink (not shown). With respect to FIG. 1 as shown, the heat exchanger 18 (also referred to as evaporator 18) operates as an evaporator in a vapor compression refrigerant heat pump in which refrigerant is compressed in a compressor 20 pressurizes refrigerant in its gaseous state, which both heats the fluid and provides pressure to circulate it throughout the system. The hot pressurized gaseous refrigerant exiting from the compressor 20 flows through conduit 22 to condenser 24, which functions as a heat exchanger to transfer heat from the refrigerant to a heat sink such as outside air or to chilled liquid from a chilled liquid circulation system (not shown), resulting in condensation of the hot gaseous refrigerant to a pressurized moderate temperature liquid refrigerant. The liquid refrigerant exiting from the condenser 24 flows through conduit 26 to an expansion device (e.g., an expansion valve) 28, where the pressure is reduced. The reduced pressure liquid refrigerant exiting the expansion valve 28 flows through conduit 30 to evaporator 18, which functions as a heat exchanger to absorb heat from the flowing liquid on the heat rejection side of the evaporator 18. Gaseous refrigerant exiting the evaporator 18 flows through conduit 32 to the compressor 20, thus completing the refrigerant loop.

On the heat rejection side of the evaporator 18, the liquid from conduit 12 b is cooled, rejecting heat to the refrigerant. The cooled liquid exits from the evaporator 18 and is directed through conduit 12 c to the membrane unit 34. At the membrane unit 34, a fan (not numbered) can provide a source of a stream of gas to be treated 36 (e.g., air such as ambient outdoor air or any process warm humid air) is introduced to a first membrane side of the membrane unit 34. In the membrane unit 34, water vapor in the air 36 undergoes capillary condensation and is transported to the liquid circulation loop 12. For embodiments in which the liquid is water, a water removal conduit 37 (which can include vacuum backflow prevention, not shown) can provide for removal of water from the water circulation loop 12 to balance the addition of condensate from the membrane unit 34. For embodiments in which the liquid is a desiccant, techniques known for water removal desiccants can be utilized instead of the water removal conduit 37.

The liquid on the liquid circulation loop 12 can be any liquid that is compatible with the water that is condensed in and transported through the membrane. In some embodiments, the liquid compatible with water is fully soluble with water or has sufficient solubility with water to absorb the amount of condensate transported from the membrane. In some embodiments, the liquid comprises water. In some embodiments, the liquid consists of water or consists essentially of water. In some embodiments, the liquid comprises a water-soluble organic solvent. In some embodiments, the liquid comprises water and a water-soluble organic solvent. Additives such as anti-scale additives, biocides, corrosion inhibitors, pH buffers, etc., can also be included. In some embodiments, the liquid can include a desiccant. Liquid desiccants can include aqueous halide salt solutions such as a liquid desiccant lithium chloride, calcium chloride, lithium bromide, alcohol solutions (e.g. triethylene glycol, propylene glycol), or aqueous chemical agents such as CaSO₄.

An example embodiment of a basic form of a membrane is schematically shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, a membrane 38 receives air stream 36 along a first side and a liquid stream 40 from the liquid source conduit 12 c on a second side. Water vapor 42 from the air is transported through the membrane 38, where it condenses through capillary condensation and enters the liquid liquid stream 40. Water vapor in the air is believed to enter the pores of the nanoporous membrane where it is exposed to hydrophilic surface with nano sized radius such that that the formed concave meniscus in the pores induces condensation at temperatures above the dew point of the bulk gas outside of the pores. The latent heat of vaporization released by the condensing water is rejected into the flowing liquid stream, which exits the membrane unit 34 through conduit 12 d for return to the evaporator 18 where heat from the liquid is rejected to the heat absorption section of the heat pump.

The hydrophilic nanoporous membrane can be formed from various materials, including organic materials (e.g., polymers) and inorganic materials. Examples of polymer membranes that can be used to form the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane include poly-piperazineamides such as the UTC-60 nanofiltration membrane supplied by Toray Corp, poly-ether-sulfones, or cellulose acetates. Additionally, polymers without inherent hydrophilicity can be rendered hydrophilic by surface treatments. For example, PVDF (poly-vinylidene fluoride)-based nanofiltration membranes including surface modification for hydrophilicity are available from Toray Corp. Examples of inorganic materials include ceramics and other inorganic materials, such as aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), titanium dioxide (TiO₂), nanoporous silicon or silicon dioxide (SiO₂); and materials based on aluminosilicate minerals (zeolites). An example of a commercially available inorganic membrane with 10 nm pore size has a selective layer based on γ-Al₂O₃ and is supplied by Media & Process Technology, Inc. Composite materials or combinations of materials can also be used for membranes, e.g., polymer matrix materials with dispersed inorganic particles, multilayer membranes comprising inorganic layer(s) and polymer layer(s), or different sections of a membrane unit utilizing different types of membrane materials. Nanoporous materials typically include pores with a range or distribution of sizes, and the term “pore size” is commonly used in the membrane industry to specify a nominal single size within a distribution of pore sizes found in the actual material. Pore size, along with other parameters such as porosity, pore density or pore volume can be determined by known techniques such as gas adsorption of nitrogen using the Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) technique with the membrane disposed on a gas-impermeable substrate. In some embodiments, the membranes used herein can include nanopores of less than 100 nm. In some embodiments, the membranes used herein can include nanopores of less than 50 nm. In some embodiments, the membranes used herein can include nanopores of less than 20 nm. In some embodiments, the membranes used herein can include nanopores in pore size range with a lower end of 0.5 nm, 1 nm, or 2 nm, and an upper end of 20 nm, 50 nm, or 100 nm. All possible combinations of the above-mentioned range endpoints are explicitly included herein as disclosed ranges. It should also be noted that the presence of pores outside any of the above ranges is not excluded.

Various configurations of membranes can be used for the membrane unit 34. Several example embodiments of membrane units are schematically shown in FIGS. 3-5. In FIG. 3, a plurality of membrane sheets 42 are arranged in a membrane unit 34 a with a plate-and-frame configuration with feed spacers 44 and filtrate spacers 46 disposed between the membrane sheets to provide flow passages for flowing air 36 and flowing liquid 40. FIG. 4 schematically shows membrane unit 34 b with a spiral-wound configuration. In the spiral wound membrane unit 34 b, a membrane sheet 42 is spiral wound around itself along with feed spacer 44 and filtrate spacer 46 to form a membrane envelope 48 for the air flow 36 and a feed flow channel 50 for the liquid flow 40. FIG. 5 schematically shows a membrane unit 34 c with a hollow fiber configuration. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 52 are disposed inside a housing 54. The configuration shown in FIG. 5 is that of a tube-in-shell, in this case a tube-in-tube heat exchanger, but other tube-in-shell configurations could also be used. As shown in FIG. 5, the flow of air 36 to be treated is introduced to the internal passages inside the hollow fiber membranes 52 while the flowing liquid 40 flows through space inside the housing 54 on the outside of the hollow fiber membranes 52. It should be noted that the flow configurations depicted in FIGS. 2-5 are of representative example embodiments, and that other flow configurations are included in this disclosure. For example, the membrane configuration of FIG. 2 shows a counterflow configuration for the flow of air 36 and the flow of liquid 40, but co-flow or cross-flow configurations could also be used. In FIG. 4, the flow of air 36 is directed circumferentially along the spiral-wound membrane while the liquid 40 flows axially, but the liquid 40 could instead be directed circumferentially while the air 36 flows axially. In FIG. 5, a counter-flow configuration is shown for the flow air 36 and liquid 40, but a cross-flow configuration could be used in which liquid is introduced along path 40 a (through a bottom port, not shown, in the housing 54), or a co-flow configuration could be used in which liquid is introduced along path 40 b. In another alternative embodiment to FIG. 5, the hollow fiber membranes 52 can simply be disposed across an airflow passageway such as a duct instead of being disposed in a tubular housing.

The configuration of the air conditioning system 10 a shown in FIG. 1 is a representative example embodiment, and numerous variations can be made. Another example embodiment of an air conditioning system 10 b is schematically shown in FIG. 6. The system shown in FIG. 6 utilizes a different liquid loop configuration than the system of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 6, pump 14 draws liquid from a liquid flow side of membrane unit 34 through conduit 56 a and pumps through conduit 56 b into tank 16, which is pressurized, with a pressure control valve 58 in communication with a gas space of tank 16. Liquid under pressure from a liquid space of tank 16 is directed to the heat rejection side of evaporator 18. Cooled liquid exiting from the heat rejection side of evaporator 18 is directed through conduit 56 d and control valve 60 to a liquid inlet of membrane unit 34. Control valve 60 can be adjusted to regulate the liquid pressure inside the membrane unit 34. Condensate removal through conduit 37 can be controlled through control valve 62 to contribute to maintaining a target pressure in the tank 16.

FIGS. 1 and 6 show an air conditioning system with a dedicated heat pump in thermal communication with a liquid source. As mentioned above, however, these are example embodiments and numerous variations can be made. FIGS. 7 and 8 schematically show systems 10 c and 10 d in which the liquid source is a chilled liquid circulation system 64. Chilled liquid circulation systems such as chilled water circulation systems are commonly used for building cooling and other thermodynamic processes such as power generation, chemical manufacturing, and other industrial processes. Although a desiccant or other water-compatible liquid could be used in the chilled liquid systems shown in FIGS. 7-8, they are described below with respect to a chilled water circulation system 64 that can include one or more heat pumps (not shown) that remove heat from the water and can optionally include one or more circulation loops (not shown) where chilled water is brought into thermal communication with one or more heat sources to absorb heat and be returned to the chilled water system heat pump(s) for heat removal. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, chilled water is received from a supply line of the chilled water circulation system 64 and directed through conduit 66 a and control valve 68 to a water inlet of the membrane unit 34. As with the systems of FIGS. 1 and 6, the water side of the membrane unit 34 receives condensate from moisture in the air stream 36 and absorbs heat from the latent heat of vaporization that is released from the condensation, and exits from a water outlet of the membrane unit 34 through conduit 66 b for return to the chilled water circulation system 64.

In some embodiments, the return water flow from the membrane unit 34 in FIGS. 7 and 8 can be returned directly to the chilled water circulation system through conduit 66 b, optionally assisted by a pump such as pump 70. In some embodiments, a water removal sub-system 72 comprising the tank 16, water removal conduit 37, and control valves 58 and 62 similar to the example embodiment of FIG. 6 can optionally be included in the systems 10 c or 10 d if it is desired to remove some or all of the condensate volume before return to the chilled water recirculation system 64. In some embodiments, such as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the system can include a heat exchanger 72 with a heat absorption side in thermal communication with the heat pump(s) of the chilled water circulation system 64 via the receipt of chilled water through conduit 66 c, and a heat rejection side in communication with a flow of air 74 to be conditioned. In some embodiments as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the flow of air to be conditioned can optionally be configured so that dried air 75 exiting from the air side of the membrane unit 34 is directed as inlet air 74 to the heat exchanger 72. In some embodiments (not shown), the flow direction can be reversed so that cooled air exiting the heat exchanger 72 is directed as inlet flow to the air side of the membrane unit 34.

FIGS. 7 and 8 schematically show different example embodiments for integration of the water return flows of the membrane unit 34 and the heat exchanger 72 to the chilled water circulation system 64. In FIG. 7, water from the outlet of heat exchanger 72 is combined with water flow from conduit 66 b pumped from the membrane unit 34 outlet by pump 70. The combined water flow is fed to pump 76 through conduit 66 d, from where it is pumped through conduit 66 e as return water to the chilled water circulation system 64. In FIG. 8, water from the outlet of the heat exchanger 72 is pumped under pressure by pump 78 to ejector 80 where it draws a partial vacuum to draw water from the membrane unit 34 water outlet through conduit 66 b. A combined flow of water from the membrane unit 34 and water from the heat exchanger 72 flows from an outlet of the ejector 80 through conduit 66 e as return water to the chilled water circulation system 64.

The system capability for integration of the heat exchanger such as heat exchanger 72 in thermal communication with the heat absorption section of the heat pump is facilitated by the significant heat absorbing capacity of chilled water circulation systems, but the integration can be accomplished in other systems as well. For example, a heat exchanger for cooling air could be configured into the systems of FIG. 1 or 6 with a liquid side in communication with the liquid flow loop 12 (FIG. 1) or the liquid flow loop 56 (FIG. 6) in similar fashion to the integration of the heat exchanger 72 in FIGS. 7 and 8, although sizing of the components of the vapor compression refrigerant heat transfer circuit for such systems may not offer optimum economic efficiency. In an alternative example embodiment, an additional heat exchanger can be integrated with the system in the form of a heat absorption section of a second heat pump. Such an example embodiment is schematically shown in FIG. 9, in which air conditioning system 10 e integrates the components from system 10 a (FIG. 1) with a second heat pump 82. As shown in FIG. 9, the second heat pump 82 includes similar components to the vapor compression refrigerant heat transfer circuit of the system 10 a, which are numbered the same for the second heat pump 82. The evaporator 18 of the second heat pump 82 receives a flow of air 84 to be conditioned. In some embodiments, the flow of air to be conditioned can optionally be configured so that dried air exiting from the air side of the membrane unit 34 is directed as inlet air 84 to the heat exchanger 18 of the second heat pump 82. In some embodiments (not shown), the flow direction can be reversed so that cooled air exiting the heat exchanger 18 of the second heat pump 82 is directed as inlet flow to the air side of the membrane unit 34.

In some embodiments, the systems disclosed herein such as the systems of FIGS. 1, 6, and 7-9 can include a controller 86. The controller 86 can be in communication with electrical connections and circuitry (not shown) or through wireless connections with various sensors and system devices and equipment such as the control valves, pumps, fans, compressors, etc. that are controlled to operate the systems. In some embodiments, the controller can be configured to operate the system to achieve target thermodynamic performance parameters. For example, in some embodiments in which the membrane unit-containing system also includes a heat-absorbing side of a heat exchanger in thermal communication the air to be conditioned such as shown in the example embodiments of FIGS. 7-9, the controller 86 can be configured to operate the system so that sensible heat is absorbed by the heat exchanger (heat exchanger 72 in FIGS. 7-8 or evaporator 18 of the second heat pump 82 in FIG. 9) and released latent heat of vaporization from condensation of water vapor is absorbed by the flowing liquid in membrane unit 34.

While the present disclosure has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the present disclosure is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the present disclosure can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, while various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the present disclosure may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A moisture removal system, comprising a first heat pump; a liquid source in thermal communication with a heat absorption section of the first heat pump; a source of gas; and a hydrophilic nanoporous membrane comprising a first side that receives a flow of gas from the gas source and a second side that receives a flow of liquid from the liquid source.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first heat pump includes a heat rejection section that rejects to heat ambient air.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first heat pump includes a heat rejection section that rejects heat to a water flow path in communication with a cooling tower.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first heat pump is a vapor compression refrigerant heat transfer circuit, a single phase refrigerant heat transfer circuit, an electrocaloric heat pump, a thermoelastic heat pump, or a magnetocaloric heat pump.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first heat pump comprises a vapor compression refrigerant heat transfer circuit that includes a refrigerant evaporator including a heat rejection side that receives a flow of liquid from the liquid source.
 6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a heat exchanger that comprises a heat rejection side that receives a flow of the gas, and a heat absorption side in thermal communication with the heat absorption section of the first heat pump.
 7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a controller configured to operate the heat exchanger in a sensible heat mode in which sensible heat is absorbed from the gas by the heat exchanger, and to operate the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane in a latent heat mode in which latent heat from the condensation of water is absorbed by the liquid flowing on the second side of the membrane.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the liquid source comprises a chilled water circulation system that includes said first heat pump, wherein said water circulation system is in thermal communication with one or more heat sinks.
 9. The system of claim 1, further including a second heat pump comprising a heat absorption section in thermal communication with a flow of the gas.
 10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a controller configured to operate the second heat pump in a sensible heat mode in which sensible heat is absorbed from the gas by the second heat pump, and to operate the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane in a latent heat mode in which latent heat from the condensation of water is absorbed by the liquid flowing on the second side of the membrane.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane comprises pores configured to promote capillary condensation of water vapor from the gas on the first side of the membrane and transport of condensed water to the second side of the membrane.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane comprises pores of less than or equal to 100 nm.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane comprises an organic polymer.
 14. The system of claim 1, wherein the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane comprises a plurality of hollow fibers.
 15. The system of claim 1 wherein the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane comprises a membrane sheet spiral wound together with a feed spacer sheet and a filtrate spacer sheet.
 16. The system of claim 1, wherein the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane comprises a plurality of membrane sheets in a stack alternately separated by a feed spacer sheet or a filtrate spacer sheet.
 17. The system of claim 1, wherein the liquid comprises water.
 18. The system of claim 1, wherein the liquid comprises a desiccant.
 19. A method of operating the moisture removal system of claim 1, comprising flowing from the liquid source on the first side of the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane and flowing gas from the gas source along the second side of the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the system further comprises a heat exchanger that comprises a heat rejection side that receives a flow of the gas, and a heat absorption side in thermal communication with the heat absorption section of the first heat pump, or the system further comprises a second heat pump comprising a heat absorption section in thermal communication with a flow of the gas, and wherein the method further comprises operating the heat exchanger or the second heat pump in a sensible heat mode in which sensible heat is absorbed from the gas by the heat exchanger or the second heat pump, and operating the hydrophilic nanoporous membrane in a latent heat mode in which latent heat from the condensation of water is absorbed by the liquid flowing on the second side of the membrane. 